How Small Businesses Can Show Up In Google’s AI Mode: The intentionally incomplete list
Yes, small businesses can rank in Google’s AI Mode. Here are some practical SEO and AEO strategies built around human-first content.
May 21, 2026
Yes, small businesses can rank in Google’s AI Mode. Here are some practical SEO and AEO strategies built around human-first content.
Anyone remember the good ol’ bad days of SEO? When winning in the search results meant stuffing a keyword into all kinds of weird and woeful places in the copy? No? Good! Google and other search engines have gotten a lot better at discerning results that are actually helpful to
If you’ve published content online recently, there’s a good chance GPTBot (OpenAI’s web crawler) has already collected it. You may think: “I don’t want AI to steal my content!” But, maybe you do? Whether or not to block AI crawlers is a topic anyone with a website needs to think
In our line of work, we look at a lot of websites. And after a while, we start spotting the same red flags again and again—signs that tell us a site isn’t doing its job, or worse, is turning people away. Some of these mistakes are obvious. Others are sneaky.
Perhaps I shouldn’t admit this as a writer who specializes in SEO copy, but here goes: I’m a fan of Google’s AI overviews (AIOs). What are AI Overviews (AIOs)? AIOs are AI-generated responses that appear at the top of the search engine results page (SERP). Unlike traditional search results,
“Blogging is dead.” Now there’s a line people love to throw around. A look at Google Trends reveals that people have been asking the question “is blogging dead?” for years. But blogs are still here. And you’re reading one right now. Blogging has been around for over 30 years, going
“SEO stays the same.” Said no one, ever. AI is changing the SEO game, and it has been for a while now. Here’s the thing: AI is not a new concept in SEO. In fact, search engines like Google have been using AI algorithms for years to rank and display
Whether you’re looking for a place to eat, an auto mechanic, or a new accountant, one of the first things you do is Google. In most cases, the top results you’ll see (particularly on mobile) contain data from Google Business Profiles. Think of Google Business Profiles as the internet’s version
Internal link building is one of the lowest-hanging fruits for small business SEO. You have control of your website and its content, so implementing an internal link-building strategy is generally within reach. There are also some new tools out there to help you with internal linking, like LinkStorm. We recently
When it comes to building websites, it’s important to integrate SEO from the very beginning. Whether your goal is to establish a credible online presence or to generate organic leads, your site should be optimized. The SEO process includes back-end optimizations, adding metadata, researching relevant keywords, and keeping up a
The blog posts on your website not only represent your brand but also serve as a crucial point of engagement with potential customers. To make an impact, the challenge isn’t just about creating content; it’s about making it visible and engaging. Here are ten practical tips to help you write
Semrush holds a steady place on our list of the best apps for small business owners. The platform is a leader in search engine optimization (SEO) applications, with a variety of useful tools to help businesses of all sizes. We use it to conduct keyword research, track keyword rankings, track
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